The Military History of Tonga
Pacific Kingdom has Fought in Two World Wars and is Still Going
With a population of slightly over 100,000 the tiny Pacific kingdoms has fought with honor and held the peace around the world for the past hundred years.
The Kingdom of Tonga has a distinguished if little known military history. After being visited by Captain Cook and turning away the infamous Captain Bligh, Tonga became a dependency of Great Britain from 1900 to1970. While part of the British Empire, fierce Tongan volunteers served in the ANZAC corps as part of the Royal New Zealand Army in World War One. The Tongans, some 2,000 strong, took part in military operations in World War Two as the Tongan Defense Force. As such they fought alongside the US 1st Marine Division in the Solomon Islands and at Guadalcanal. Upon independence the small nation (2000 population- 110,000) formed its own independent Tonga Defense Service (TDS). This force included an infantry company sized unit referred to as the Royal Tonga Marines; a platoon sized Guard of Honor for the king, and a reserve territorial defense force. Besides these land elements the Tongan Defense Service maintains a two aircraft air arm, and a six ship maritime force. The TDS also field a notable Rugby team that regularly takes on Australian teams. The entire force numbers some 450-men and its current commander is Colonel Tau'aika 'Uta'atu. It was armed with commonwealth weapons systems including Bren light machine guns, Webley revolvers, Sterling subachineguns, and the Enfield 303 rifle with newer weapons being slowly acquired in the 1980s.
In 1972 the Tongan military faced its first challenge when it was ordered to invade and occupy the nearby illegal micro nation of the “Republic of Minerva”. The Republic of Minerva had been formed by a Las Vegas buisnesman and was seen as a threat to Tonga's independence. The Kingdom again was forced to repel these pesky "Minervans" when they returned in 1982. Today the Free Minerva government in exile is very real and it can be assured that the Tongan armed forces are ready.
The TDS sent troops abroad for the first time in 2002 when it sent 33 men to assist in peacekeeping operations in the Solomon Islands. This effort went on for a three year period with at least three different contingents serving. In 2004 the TDS sent a 45-man volunteer unit of Tongan Marines to perform force protection duties with the US Marine corps in Iraq as part of the Global War on Terrorism. Normally armed with the Israeli manufactured Galil rifle and Uzi submachine gun, the Tongan marines were rearmed with the US-standard M16/M4 rifles for interoperability purposes. They served six months with the 1st Marine Division (as they had at Guadalcanal) and returned to Tonga without suffering casualties. The TDS served in riot control/martial law duties in the capital city of Nuku'alofa for 53 days in 2006 following the death of King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV. It was assisted by a 165 man military and police force from Australia and New Zealand.
The TDS is sending a larger 55-man Marine contingent to Iraq in the summer of 2007. They are training now at Camp Pendleton.
Tonga is earning its place in Military History.
Sources
US State Department Tonga
CIA Factbook, 2005
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